MarKeting McKenna

Blog

In today’s world, there are many different opinions on what makes something newsworthy versus only sensational. Well, I would love to share my opinion on this. A few  different things that makes something newsworthy is being able to provide good quality information, making sure the story has a good focus, it includes what is going on in the world around us, and speaking to your audience. A story that is sensational has elements that prioritize emotion, exaggerate details, lack depth of context, and focus more on the attention of the public.

Newsworthy stories need to provide good quality information. This information needs to impact the public, or it helps people understand important events that are going on in the world around us. The news story must have a good focus, and what I mean by that is it needs to focus on the relevance, accuracy, and context. Without this, your audience won’t be engaged without it turning to more into a sensational article. These stories need to include what is going on in the world around us and is relevant. They can include politics, economics, public safety, social issues, or meaningful human-interest stories. Lastly, these articles need to speak to the audience and aim to inform the audience and explain why the story matters.

Sensational articles mainly prioritize emotion to keep their audience hooked rather than focusing on the facts. This includes emotions like shock, fear, sadness, joy, anger, and so on. These stories exaggerate and usually use misleading information. Their headlines are click-bait to get you to read the story. These stories lack depth of context and depth, especially on stories that cover real events. Lastly, sensational articles’ main focus is on the attention of the public. They don’t include much value in their stories and mostly just want you to engage by reading the article.

I think it is important to remember these differences not only for the writer, but the reader as well. Pay attention to the information that you are reading and make sure it is coming from a good source. I would suggest reading multiple sources before making claims and sharing with other son the information you learned. It is important to create your own opinions based on your own research. I would love to hear your opinion. Leave me a comment and share your thoughts on what makes something newsworthy versus only sensational.

Date Written: February 10, 2026